An unfortunate consequence of
TCL's approach to smartphone manufacturing is a rather confusing portfolio. The
company just unveiled Alcatel 3L, 1S, 1V and 1B even though we have seen all of
these model numbers in the past except the 1B. Either way they are all new
phones even if they reuse the names of the company's old offerings.
We start with the Alcatel 3L.
Like its name suggests, it is the most "high-end" device of the
bunch. Its key selling point is a triple camera headlined by the 48MP Samsung
GM1 Quad Bayer sensor behind an F/1.8 lens. Alongside it, the 3L also gets a
5MP 115-degree ultrawide F/2.2 snapper and a 2MP F/2.4 macro one.
Beyond that, the Alcatel 3L
has a 6.22-inch IPS HD+ 19:9 display, which Alcatel refers to as "Vast
display". It runs Android 10 on a MediaTek MT6762 chipset with an
octa-core CPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage.
A 4,000 mAh battery sits
inside a 158.7 x 74.6 8.48mm, 165 gram body. The 3L will be available in Q1
2020, in Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa for around US$ 155. Color
options include Chameleon Blue, Dark Chrome or Agate Green.
Moving down the lineup, there
is the new Alcatel 1S, which also gets a triple camera setup. Instead of the
fancy 48MP camera, though, the 1S packs a 13MP F/1.8 snapper plus a 5MP F/2.2
ultrawide one and a 2MP F/2.4 macro unit. The Alcatel 1S has the same
6.22" 720 x 1520 pixel display as the 3L and an identical 4,000 mAh
battery.
The chipset gets a slight
downgrade to a MediaTek MT6762D and memory is reduced to #GB RAM plus 32GB of
expandable storage. The Alcatel 1S will be available in select markets in
Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa for about US$ 110. Color
options include Agate Green and Power Grey.
Next there is the 1V, which is
the third phone to share roughly the same body. The display is the phone is a
bit thicker, though it houses the exact same 4,000 mAh battery. Downgrades for
the 1V include one less rear camera, so you only get the 13MP and the 5MP
ultrawide unis. Chipset is the same as the 1S - MT6762D, but memory is 2GB RAM
plus 32GB expandable storage.
The Alcatel 1B will be
available in select markets in Latin America, Asia Pacific, Middle East and
Africa in Q1 2020 starting from US$ 88, in Prime Black and Pine Green. Last, but
not least, there is the Alcatel 1B. It is the only one out of the bunch that
looks different enough to be easily distinguishable. It features a 5.5-inch 720
x 1440 pixel display and noticeably wider top and bottom chins to fill the
extra space in its 146.1 x 71.6 x 9.9mm body.
Under the hood you get 3,000
mAh worth of battery, a quad-core CPU on a QM215 chipset, 2GB of RAM and 16GB
of expandable storage. Those four cores shouldn't be much of a worry, though,
since the Alcatel 1B is and Android Go phone, running the latest lightweight
Android 10 Go edition, out of the box. The Alcatel 1B will be available in
select markets in Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa
in Q1 2020 starting from US$ 66, in Prime Black and Pine Green.
